The Stones have an element of chaos which adds a thrill of the unpredictable to the proceedings

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Harlem Shuffler
As I don’t get out much perhaps you could let me know if there are other artists who depart from the studio version of songs as much as the Stones do in concert. For example, Midnight Rambler is a lot different to the recording on Let It Bleed but is brilliant in its own way. Unfortunately, this approach isn’t always as successful, the live performance being somewhat weaker on certain numbers in my humble opinion.

well, I don't think the Stones really depart from the studio versions of their songs. Each and every live song is very easy to recognize – even for casual fans

Indeed, and to a greater and greater extent ever since 1989.
Even the guitar solos are attempts at copying the studio versions

If so, they do a lousy job

PS: I know that Ronnie picks some licks from the studio versions (JJF, GS, IORR etc.), but that's not solos.

No maybe they don't even deserve the "solo stample" , it's all "licks and weaving" now.

But there are many examples of them, especially Ron, trying to copy studio versions, or Mick Taylor live solos of the 70s, Can't You Hear Me Knockin being the prime example

IMO, he merely picks out some memorable motifs and plays his own solos, maybe with the exception of ADTL (but that solo has changed during the years - he does is without slide sometimes etc.).

IMO, he plays his own versions of the solo's partially because he can't duplicate the Mick Taylor solo's no matter how hard he's tried.
He probably realizes this, and says screw it - I'll just make a mess out of it while making it my own in the process.

Indeed, that's my opinion as well. Same procedure as making his "art" or self-tribute-paintings in other words

The exception is ADTL, of course, where he has played the solo note for note in the past. He must have had a stroke of brilliance?

Seriously, none of these solos are difficult to copy for Ronnie. They may not sound the same, but I'm sure he chose not to copy.

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But I wonder how much of that was his own choice. In 75/76 his playing was brilliant. And he was well on his way of making many of those songs his own. But since some of those lead lines by Taylor are iconic, maybe he felt like the fans would respond better to the familiar stuff. Or maybe it was the band who asked him. Or maybe the drugs just ran out.

As a kid in the '70s, the Stones were one of the first bands where I learned of "road versions"...namely with the change in the way the choruses were sung on JJF ("All right now" instead of "Allllll riiiiight now") and HTW ("Honky tonk, honky tonk" instead of stretching it out) - must have been the Love You Live versions. In retrospect, they were just subtle differences, but back then all we could compare to were the studio versions.

The Beach Boys were another example - their familiar hits on the "In Concert" album ('72-73 tour) featured much more instrumentation and sounded different vs. the studio versions (again, all we could compare to at the time).

[youtu.be]
Help Me Rhonda
(definitely not 1965 anymore!)